


Do you even know my name?

by parttimehuman



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Crushes, Drabble, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Thiam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/pseuds/parttimehuman
Summary: Theo is angry. And sad. But not alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrashWrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashWrites/gifts).



> People are the worst.

Theo stares at the screen of his phone in his trembling hand until the light goes out, but the words he just read are burned into his memory. 

 

_ I'm sorry. It's better this way.  _

 

Better for who? For him? Certainly not. 

 

_ You just don't really fit into my lifestyle anymore.  _

 

Since when does a person have to fit into your lifestyle to be your friend?

 

_ Even you have to admit that we have zero common interests.  _

 

Zero? Then what the hell was it that they were doing all those times they hung out together? What were all those late night talks about? 

 

Lies. Excuses. And not even good ones. The betrayal makes Theo feel sick. His blood boils hot with rage, but what is far worse, is that his eyes start burning with tears he can´t fight back. It´s not fair. It´s all a big fat pile of bullshit. Still, the bullshit hurts. 

 

Theo turns the phone screen back on. He knows what to expect, but seeing the stupid text message again sends a fresh wave of anger and sadness through him.  _ Why?  _ is what he keeps asking himself. It just doesn´t make sense to him. 

 

His first instinct was to call his friend, because surely, it all has to be a misunderstanding. Except the words he received don´t really leave much room for misunderstandings. They´re pretty clear. Okay, truth be told, his first instinct was to smash his phone onto the ground. After reading the text over and over again, he is now thinking about what he can respond. 

 

Of course, no response would be the most elegant way, the way to at least keep as much as possible of his dignity. But Theo has things to say that are more important than dignity. Fuck it. He starts typing. 

 

_ Are you kidding me?  _

 

He deletes the question. Who would be kidding about ending the friendship with someone as close as Theo used to be? 

 

_ Your lifestyle? Or your fucking girlfriend?  _

 

There used to be a time when Theo was more important than the stupid girlfriend. Apparently, that time is over now. But it´s not exactly the girlfriend´s fault, so he thinks of something else to say. 

 

_ Asshole. _

 

It´s too short. Too ordinary. Asshole hardly conveys the rage burning in flames inside him. 

 

_ I thought you were my friend. I thought that because we have a lot of things in common. You´ve probably been too busy lately, hanging out with your girlfriend instead of me, the sad and miserable eternal single guy. So many years and you simply decide I don´t fit into your life anymore? Fuck you!  _

 

By now Theo is full on crying. He can´t help it. Theo words his aggressively typing sound so harsh in his head, but all he wants is a friend who sticks around him, and losing one because he doesn´t, that shit hurts more than he likes to admit. It´s awful. What is wrong with him? Why is he not worth the friendship? 

 

He can´t send his reply. He deletes the words again. He can barely see the text on the screen anymore. It´s all just a blur. He sighs and slumps back against the wall of the empty hallway. The entire high school is empty, except Theo sobbing his heart out in front of the history classroom. It´s just where he was when he got the message. He doesn´t even take history this year. 

 

“Fuck you, Josh,” Theo mumbles and lets the phone fall to his feet. “Fuck you.” 

 

“Yeah, fuck Josh,” a voice from beside him agrees, low and growly and a little aggressive. He looks up.  _ No!  _ Theo starts panicking. This can´t be happening. All year he has been thirsting after Liam Dunbar, captain of the lacrosse team, Beacon Hills´ brightest and hottest. All year, Liam hasn´t even breathed remotely in his direction. And in that one moment where he is ugly crying at school, the stupid jock suddenly decides to talk to him. Theo wants to be mad, but Liam gives him a vague smile, his blue eyes shimmering darkly, and Theo´s knees go weak. 

 

He can´t get up and run away like his instincts tell him to. He can´t say anything back either. His voice would sound ridiculous. So he just sniffles and stares ahead, his fingers playing with seam of his pants nervously. 

 

Theo can feel Liam´s eyes on him. They send a shiver down his spine. Why was the message not enough? Is this kind of embarrassment really necessary? He prays for the ground beneath him to open up and simply swallow him, but of course, nothing happens. Awkward silence begins to press the air out of his lungs. 

 

“Remind me,” Liam says casually as he sits down next to Theo, “who is Josh again? Do I have to know him?” 

 

Theo has no idea why on earth Liam is asking him that. What does he care? And why is he sitting so close that their shoulders are touching? And why does it make Theo feel funny things? He was devastated just a second ago! 

 

“He´s also a senior,” Theo shrugs. Not that a cool kid like Liam would know the names of the unworthy. “And my friend. Well, at least that´s what I thought.” 

 

“What happened?” Liam asks, nudging Theo´s shoulder gently, sending sparks flying between them. Or is that just in Theo´s head? 

 

Theo could swear that he didn´t give his hands permission, but either way, they pick up the phone from the ground, turn on the screen and hold it out for Liam to read. 

 

Liam gasps at the words. “What a fucking bastard,” he growls. “I´m so sorry.” 

 

Theo doesn´t know what to say. What is Liam apologizing for? 

 

“Some people are just assholes,” Theo says quietly. 

 

“True,” Liam nods, and suddenly, there is a hand on Theo´s knee. “As much as it may hurt,” Liam says, “assholes don´t deserve your tears.” 

 

Theo almost laughs. Out of all people at his school, Liam Dunbar would have been the last one he would have expected to comfort him one day. 

 

“I know,” he whispers. “I´ll get over it. Just not right away.” 

 

“Well, maybe a new friend could help you with that,” Liam suggests, a grin spreading over his face. It looks so pretty that Theo forgets what they were even talking about. But when Liam gets up and holds out a hand to him, smiling that beautiful smile, telling him to “come on”, all Theo can do is take his hand and follow him. 

 

“Do you even know my name?” Theo asks. It´s an odd questions, he´s aware, but he has to. Liam Dunbar wasn´t supposed to care about him. Liam Dunbar wasn´t supposed to be _ nice _ .

 

“Of course, Theo,” Liam smirks and Theo´s heart skips a beat when he hears his name from Liam´s lips. “Do you know mine?” 

 

_ Oh holy lord,  _ Theo thinks,  _ where do I even start…. _ And while he thinks about it, Liam right next to him, he doesn´t even notice he´s left his phone on the floor in the school hallway. But what does it matter? Josh is just not his lifestyle anymore. 


	2. Chapter 2

Theo is still floating one inch above the ground on Monday, lost in daydreams, even when an entire weekend lies between this ordinary school day and the afternoon he spent with Liam. The thing is, the hours they shared were perfect. Simply perfect. Theo still can't believe what a nice guy Liam really is. All his life he has stuck with people like Josh, avoiding popular jocks like Liam, living high school life under the radar. All his life, and suddenly it changes, and all Theo can think is how wrong he was. Because the asshole is Josh, and the safe place is with Liam. 

 

English passes right by him, in social studies he draws little hearts and little ´L´s onto his desk until the bell drags him back to reality, in chemistry he has to muster all his strength to not look into Josh's direction. During maths, anxiety start welling up inside Theo. The lunch break after will be the first lunch break of high school that he won't spend sitting at the same table as Josh. Although the thought of not having to witness his former friend and his girlfriend eating each other´s faces actually relieves him, Theo can't help the nervousness. He is all by himself now. 

 

Or maybe he isn’t.

 

His steps on the way to the cafeteria are deliberately small. Theo considers skipping lunch, or simply eating outside, or - Jesus Christ - even the bathroom crosses his mind for a second, but in the end, facing Josh sooner or later is unavoidable, and sooner might be better than later. Just to get it over with. 

 

Theo gets in line all by himself, checking his regained phone for messages he knows he hasn’t received every thirty seconds just to look less lonely. The food they serve that day looks the saddest he’s ever witnessed, the mash grey and sticky, the lettuce leafs flabby and - frankly - disgusting. But hey, this is his life now. 

 

Once he’s collected everything he won’t eat together on his tray, Theo starts looking around, his eyes scanning the large hall, except for the corner where he knows he isn’t welcome anymore. It’s hard not to look into the direction, and the fact that he even has to try once again makes him sad. Sadness seems to be the only constant in his life lately. 

 

The only thing worse than sadness is loneliness. Every single person in this school seems to have a place in the cafeteria. There’s the table where the teachers eat. There’s the table for the mathletics, for the science nerds, for the skater kids. The lacrosse team has its own corner, as do the choir people and the brass ensemble. Everybody belongs somewhere. Everybody except Theo. 

 

“Fuck my life,” he whispers to himself, and as if the universe has been listening, Josh suddenly appears right in front of his nose. 

 

“Save it,” Theo pleads before his former friend can say anything. Whatever it is, he’s not sure he can take it right now, but he damn well knows that none of the hundreds of other students have to hear it. He used to laugh about Josh’s harsh and unapologetic words to and about others, but now that Theo finds himself at the receiving end, he realizes that they’re not funny at all. The only thing they are is stupid. 

 

“Theo Raeken.” Josh drags his name out with a malicious grin, clearly enjoying his opportunity to rub it in. “Still following me around like a puppy, I see.”

 

Theo is physically unable to roll his eyes hard enough to do his inner reaction to that statement justice. He says nothing. 

 

“Maybe it’s time to get yourself your own personality at last, you know?” Josh continues. God, can the guy not simply let it go? It’s not like the friendship isn’t over anyway. It’s not like Theo wanted to see him ever again. It’s not like he hasn’t been suffering through every minute since he received that stupid message. Well, admittedly, not every single minute. The point is, Josh has long managed to hurt him. Why twist the knife like this now? 

 

He’s the better person, Theo tells himself. No need to be petty. It’s not like Josh would get it anyway. But when he tries to just walk away, not even caring anymore what table he can sit at, Josh blocks his way and Theo snaps. Destroying a friendship for no apparent reason is one thing, but this unnecessary cruelty crosses a line. 

 

“Maybe you should get one, too, Josh,” he replies, his voice oozing sarcasm, “since being an asshole is not a personality.” 

 

“Aw,” Josh makes in response, “look at that. The hurt puppy bites.” 

 

Theo lets out a bitter laugh. “What do you even want from me? Do you seriously not have anything better to do than this?” he asks. He’s genuinely wondering. If Josh doesn’t need his friendship anymore, then what the hell is he doing? 

 

“It’s just so much fun,” Josh shrugs, “seeing you all riled up. If you’d been like that more often, maybe I would have liked you better.” 

 

Theo is so done with that asshole. So fucking done. 

 

“Fuck you, Josh,” he spits out, “you know what? I should actually be thanking you. I’m so relieved I don’t have to pretend that your jokes are funny anymore. Or that you look good in those jeans.” 

 

He knows that last comment was below the belt, but he couldn't stop himself, and he doesn’t exactly feel a lot of remorse. All he can feel is anger. Who does Josh think he is? 

 

Josh throws him a death glare. He's very sensitive when it comes to his humor. Or his beloved jeans. 

 

“And I don't have to pretend like I care when you cry like a baby,” Josh counters, his voice a little too loud for Theo not to be embarrassed. They’re causing a lot of attention. “You should have taken a better look in the mirror,” he adds bitterly. “You look like someone stole your favorite teddy bear.” 

 

Theo hates Josh. He knows his face is still red and swollen, dried tears having left salty tracks on his cheeks, but until just now, he didn't feel ashamed of it. Now he couldn’t find the words to respond anymore. His tongue was dry, his eyes were absolutely not. 

 

“You cut this crap right the fuck now, you stupid asshole,” Liam growls dangerously as he storms between them, broadening his chest in front of Josh, who can surely not be stupid enough to find that anything other than intimidating. 

 

Josh keeps staring, the hate in his eyes now directed at Liam instead of Theo. “Fuck off,” he replies in annoyance, “the puppy can speak for himself, I think.” 

 

“He’s my friend,” Liam presses out, and Theo´s heart skips a beat. “You better leave him alone now. And not just now, but forever, or else…” 

 

“Or else what?” Josh asks with a ridiculing laugh. Theo wonders if the guy has a death wish or something. 

 

Liam doesn’t bother answering, he just punches the asshole in the face, the knuckles of his right fist knocking Josh from his feet, sending him to the ground and a few feet further away. Blood starts dripping from his nose. “What the hell?” he shrieks as he covers his bleeding nose with a hand. 

 

“I'll tell you what,” Liam replies casually. “You’ve been fucking with the wrong guy’s friend.” And with that, he turns on his heels and grabs Theo’s wrist, dragging him out of the cafeteria so fast and purposeful that Theo barely has time to put his tray down. 

 

“Where are we going?” Theo asks dumbly. It really doesn't matter. He would follow Liam anywhere. 

 

“Just somewhere more private,” Liam informs him, “since I assume you wouldn’t want me to do this in front of the entire school.” 

 

Before Theo can ask what Liam means, the round one last corner and are alone right on front of the history classroom where they met the week before. Theo stops when Liam does, his body paralyzed when Liam steps closer, and then yet a little closer. 

 

And suddenly, just like that, just like it’s okay for the world to keep spinning, Liam wraps his arms around Theo, and their chests heave and sink against each other, and their palms press against each other’s back, and they breathe in each other’s scent. And Theo knows he might have had a crush on this guy forever, but more importantly, he has a friend now. A real one. 


	3. Chapter 3

Theo pulls away first, simply because he doesn’t want to make this awkward, doesn’t want to make Liam feel like he has to hold him like a baby, but Liam takes his time, squeezes his arms tight around Theo’s body again before he finally lets go.

 

“Some people should be forced to carry a plant around,” Liam declares with a smile, “to replace the oxygen they waste.” 

 

“If only it worked like that,” Theo sighs in response, “I’d never have to deal with Josh again. He’d be busy taking care of his forest.” 

 

Liam laughs, loudly this time. “See, you can take it with humor,” he then says, “that means you win. Not that this is a competition or anything, but he just bled on the cafeteria floor, and you cracked a joke about him, so you still win.”

 

Theo can feel the anger disappear along with the sadness. There simply is no room for those when Liam is around. Especially not when he smiles that wide smile of his, that very unique kind, the one that spreads over his entire face and makes his eyes shine. 

 

“Thank you,” Theo says in a serious tone. He doesn’t recall anybody ever standing up for him like Liam just did. 

 

“Oh, don’t thank me yet,” Liam winks at him. If humans are actually capable of melting, well then that’s what’s happening to Theo right then and there, but Liam isn’t done yet. “You know what I think you need right now?” 

 

_ You,  _ Theo thinks as he looks at Liam, his cheeks all hot and probably red like tomatoes. “What?” he asks curiously, excited about what Liam has in mind again. 

 

“A pizza,” Liam declares, “but not just any pizza. You need the special Liam edition today. Ice-cream for dessert included.” 

 

Theo can’t help but laugh. How is it even possible for Liam to say something so ridiculous and still sound so sexy? 

 

“Of course there’s a special Liam edition of a pizza,” Theo replies, “should have guessed that. So, does that mean you want to hang out after school?” His heart is beating loudly. Theo can hardly believe that he just asked that question out loud. 

 

“After school?” Liam asks, irritation on his face. “We still haven’t had lunch yet, have we? I, for one, will not have some asshole ruin lunch for me. Not on a fucking Monday, Theo.” When Liam says things like that one, they sound like the most reasonable things, so who is Theo to argue with his logic? 

 

“So, you want to skip classes?” he asks. 

 

“Yeah,” Liam nods, “or did you have something important today?” 

 

Theo thinks about geography and shakes his head faster and with more vehemence than Mr Davis would approve of, but oh well, Liam simply has the better arguments. 

 

“Awesome,” Liam smiles as he turns away to leave, and suddenly Theo is being pulled along by his hand. He can’t believe that Liam is actually doing this, that he’s actually holding Theo’s hand as if they weren’t at school where everybody can see them, as if Theo wasn’t suffering from a moderately severe heart attack right now, as if holding hands was just a thing between them. And then Theo thinks that maybe it is now, and then he can’t stop his stupid face from smiling like the biggest idiot. The thing is, looking like an idiot is something he would have worried about around Josh. With Liam, everything is different. 

 

***

 

Liam presents his freshly baked pizza with a proud “voilà” a while later. They’re standing in the kitchen at Liam’s place and it smells absolutely fantastic. 

 

“Damn, you’re a real pro, huh?” Theo comments when he discovers that Liam even owns one of those round cutters specifically designed for pizza. 

 

“I wouldn’t say pro,” Liam replies, “just passionate.” He piles more pieces of home-made pizza on the two plates he’s pulled from the cupboard than any human teenager could ever eat in one day, holds one of them out to Theo and leads the way to his room. 

 

Theo almost laughs when he sees it. He doesn’t even know the other boy that well, but everything about the room screams Liam, the walls that each are painted in a different shade of blue, the big tv screen and the controllers lying in front of it, the photos that are pinned to the walls all over the room, the things scribbled onto the wallpaper with a sharpie, the clothes scattered all over the floor, the heavy looking books lying around open, the guitar in the corner, the dream-catcher hanging above the bed, the posters of soccer players that Theo doesn’t recognize.  _ Passionate.  _ Seems about right. 

 

“Wow,” Theo whispers, more to himself than to Liam. The room looks so…  _ alive _ . There’s an entire childhood in there with them.

 

“Sorry for the mess,” Liam shrugs, his mouth full as he speaks. He slumps down onto the bed and presses a button on a remote until the Netflix logo appears on the tv. “You wanna watch a movie.” 

 

_ I wanna watch you watch a movie,  _ Theo thinks. “Sure,” he says, sitting down at the other side of the mattress carefully. 

 

Five minutes into satisfied pizza-munching and watching  _ Mean Girls,  _ Theo almost jumps when he hears Liam’s voice. “You okay over there? We could always build a pillow-wall, you know?” He’s smiling softly, but Theo still feels a little stupid for the ridiculous distance he’s left between them. He sure as hell doesn’t want to seem like he doesn’t want Liam to touch him again. 

 

“I think I’m fine without a pillow-wall,” Theo replies quietly as he shuffles closer to Liam, his eyes focused on the movie that he has to admit is surprisingly captivating and absolutely hilarious so far. 

 

“You know what to say to make a man happy, huh?” Liam mumbles back in amusement and Theo turns red again. 

 

When Liam takes Theo’s plate from his hand to put it on the nightstand next to him, their fingers touch a millisecond longer than necessary, and Theo knows that this is not a little crush he has on the guy. He’s falling in love, fast and hard and irrevocably and he doesn’t mind it one bit. 

 

“I think I like my pizza the special Liam way,” he says bravely, averting his eyes quickly when Liam looks at him. 

 

“God,” Liam whispers, “you’re so cute, you know that?” 

 

If what happened to Theo’s face before was blushing, then this is something entirely else. He practically squirms beneath Liam’s look. “No I’m not,” he mutters shyly. 

 

“Theo,” Liam says seriously, and something about the way his name sounds when it comes from Liam’s lips breaks Theo’s heart and heals it again, makes it beat faster. “Do you have any idea how badly I want to hold your hand right now?” Liam asks. 

 

Obviously, the answer is no, because Theo would never even have dared dream about this. 

 

“As badly as I want to hold yours?” he asks in reply. 

 

Liam looks at him, right at him, right into his eyes, or maybe into his soul, who knows? Certainly not Theo, Theo doesn’t know anything anymore except how incredibly blue Liam’s eyes are. 

 

“As badly as I want to kiss you?” Liam breathes out. 

 

Theo can’t answer anymore. He can’t talk. All he can do is lean in and bring his hand to Liam’s face, to feel the smooth skin of his cheek beneath his fingertips, to get lost in the blue of his eyes and the pink of his lips, and then to close his eyes and finally close the distance between them. 

 

Their kiss is soft and careful, just a light brush of the lips against each other, warm breath and hesitant touches, but then Liam kisses him back properly, presses their mouths together for a moment, and Theo knows he can’t get enough of this, and he really tries not to be too greedy, but he can’t help how sweet and fantastic Liam tastes.

 

The movie ends and Theo is sure that it’s worth a re-watch, but that will have to wait for another time. He’s busy now. 

 

“Ice-cream?” Liam asks. By now, they’ve sunk down on the bed, their legs intertwined and their lips kissed swollen. 

 

“Nahh, I’m good,” Theo shakes his head before he leans in for another kiss. And here he was, surprised that Liam even knew his name when they met in the hallway at school. If only he’d known back then… 


End file.
